Kris and I did not get a wakeup call so got a late start on the trip to Hana. We began at Paia, rode up to Kula and continued through the lava fields and desert in a counterclockwise direction. The road was very rough and had many climbs much steeper than we found going to the top of Haleakala. There were 37 miles of road surface paved one patch at a time and 4 miles of dirt or gravel. There was also some wonderfully smooth paved sections. I do not know the total distance but we took 13 hours in getting to Hana and finished by moonlight. The scenery was great. The contrast of going from a dry desert to a tropical rainforest in a few miles was amazing. We took shelter under the trees when a downpour hit us at sunset. We arrived at Hana after everything had closed. The manager of the little Inn where we had reservations gave us some eggs, potatoes, and bananas to cook for dinner. It was our best meal on the island.
We left in the a.m. after eating a big breakfast. We continued in the counterclockwise direction. The road back was very smooth. There were still a lot of climbs but not like Friday's. There was almost no traffic going our direction. Cars were never a problem. We felt very lucky to be riding bikes on this road because we could experience all the sights, sounds, smells, and adventure of the trip like no other method. We took 7 hours to return.
Kris and I enjoyed all of our vacation on Maui. Thanks go to our leaders, Dave Basista and his wife Grace, and to our riding companions, LeRoy, Richard, and Tom.
Bob and Kris Thompson
thompsbk@mail.telis.org
PS
We rented basic Mtn Bikes for the week. They cost about $70 each. We took FatBoy road tires, SPD mtn bike pedals, camelbacks, and soft saddles. They were all good selections.
Go to LeRoy Rodriguez's version of this trip.